Embodiments of inventive concepts disclosed herein relate generally to antenna arrays and more particularly to card based antenna arrays including but not limited to ultra-wideband (UWB) apertures.
Modern sensing and communication systems may utilize various types of antennas to provide a variety of functions, such as communication, radar, and sensing functions. For example, wide band arrays are used in electronic intelligence (ELINT) sensors and high data rate communication systems. In another example, radar systems use antenna arrays to perform functions including but not limited to, sensing, intelligence-gathering (e.g., signals intelligence, or SIGINT), direction finding (DF), electronic countermeasure (ECM) or self-protection (ESP), electronic support (ES), electronic attack (EA) and the like. Extensive touch labor assembly is required for connection components of the card based and non-card based arrays and expensive discrete components such as baluns, cables, and connectors behind the aperture are required to transfer energy to backend circuitry. Such components also add to the weight of the antenna array.